Frequency: (121)
(number of times this surname appears in a sample database of 88.7 million names, representing one third of the 1997 US population)
1. Spanish and Italian: from cardo ‘thistle’, ‘cardoon’ (Latin carduus), hence a topographic name, or possibly in some cases a metonymic occupational name for a wool carder, thistles having been used for this purpose.
2. Italian: from a short form of a personal name with this ending, such as Accardo, Biancardo (see Biancardi), or Riccardo.
3. Catalan (Cardó): habitational name from a place named Cardó in Catalonia.
GIVEN NAMES: Spanish 17%; Italian 7%. Carlos (2), Diego, Eladio, Feliciano, Hermina, Humberto, Jorge, Jose, Marta, Orlando, Reyes, Roberto; Vito (3).
See the Key to the Dictionary or consult the General Introduction for further explanation.
